Tips on using Aperture with Photoshop PSD files

For all the people like me coming to Aperture with hundreds of Photoshop files, I would like to offer what I've learned so far in this area.
1. If Aperture is importing your psd files but not showing an image, you probably need to change some preferences in PS. Apple has a tech note showing how to set the PS prefs here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302624
Warning: all of the choices should be set to the ones onscreen, not just "maximize compatibility". And even then, I have found I can't simply re-save the file to produce the image Aperture needs. I had to use "Save As" from Photoshop, creating a new file, to import a visible image file into Aperture.
2. Once the psd file is in Aperture, you need to realize that Aperture treats it as a master and won't let you make further changes to it. So, if you select this psd file and choose "Edit in external editor," Aperture will create a duplicate file and send that to Photoshop, thus protecting you. If you don't want two full-size masters of the same image in your library, there are two work-arounds.
Very Important Tip: in the Aperture preferences you must tell Aperture to use the psd file format for the "Edit In External Editor" command. My copy of Aperture defaulted to the TIFF format, which is bad if you want your layers preserved as you should.
One work-around is to import the psd file(s) as referenced masters. When you want to make changes to the file in PS, choose the file in Aperture and select "Show in Finder." From the finder, open the file in PS, make your changes, save, return to Aperture and update the preview if Aperture hasn't automatically done so. I don't like this method because it requires referenced masters and I want all of my files managed by Aperture.
Second method works with managed masters in the Aperture library or referenced masters for that matter. However you cannot use this technique if a psd file in your Aperture library has versions you want to save. You can only do this with files that have not spawned versions which you want to keep. In other words, be very careful. Best to do this as shortly after the import process.
Pick the file, choose "Edit in External Editor." Aperture duplicates the file and opens that in PS. Make some changes, save and return to Aperture. Notice the original master and this new changed version are in a stack. There should be a badge on the changed version indicating it has been edited externally. Here's the trick: Unstack the two images and delete the original master. Now you have only the externally edited master in your Aperture library. If you choose "Edit In External Editor" with this file, Aperture will not duplicate it and send the duplicate to PS, it will send the selected file.
Apple has a useful FAQ on using "Open With External Editor" here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302820

My suspicion is that Aperture is going to try loading the video card VRAM with your image .... 600Mb worth. So, paging in/out of system memory is going to be a royal pain.
Check that you haven't any alpha channels saved, as Aperture will save them but will not composite them.
Finally, to disable previews, uncheck in preferences, AND also uncheck Maintain previews under the library projects list gear icon.
Cheers!

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Problems with photoshop psd files in Lightroom 2

I've been using Photoshop with raw and jpeg images for years, until just recently i started learning Lightroom 2 by watching the Kelby Training series online. I have learned a ton, but there are some things that i am just not able to figure out and for some reason they have not addressed my issues on Kelby.com.
Here is my list:
1. When i edit my images in lightroom and then click on a specific image to edit it in photoshop because it needs something removed for example, lightroom does not do what Matt Kloskowski on Kelby says lightroom should do. It does not open up a box asking how i want to edit the image. supposedly a box listing these three things should appear: edit a copy with lightroom adjustments, edit a copy, edit the original. I already changed my preferences so that images would be taken into photoshop as PSD files with prophotoRGB, like he said to do. Instead of opening up this box, it just opens the image in photoshop. When i save the image after editing it, it does save it as a _edit-psd, but when i close the image and go back into lightroom, the psd file does not show up. supposedly, the psd file should be stacked right next to the original image and it is not there. when i look at the images in the finder, it shows the psd file.
is there another setting that i need to change?
2. when i want to covert my nef raw files to jpeg for printing and burning dvds for clients, what is the best way to do this? i've done it by exporting to jpeg. but why, when i jpeg, does lightroom not use the jpeg images? for example, when i run a slideshow of a collection of images, it uses the lightroom edited nef files, PLUS, since LR does not show the psd files, the changes i made on photoshop do not show up on the slideshow either! it seems to use the psd files when converting to jpeg, so if i could just figure out a way to use the jpeg images for the slideshow all the edits should be there.do i need to import the jpeg files back into LR as a new collection?
3. when i convert to jpeg using photoshop, there are xmp files. why are there no xmp files with the original images when LR is used? where is all the information that belongs with the RAW images?
ok. i actually have a ton more questions, but i'll start with these for now.
Thank you so much!

Check the destination you have specified in the Import panel. It needs to point to a location that Lightroom can read and more important write files to. Usually the error message (in English) says “files cannot be read” and this really means that LR was unable to copy the files to the destination so then when it tried to import from that destination not file were found to read.

Using the Mac Preview App to view Photoshop .psd files

When I click on a Photoshop .psd file and open it using Preview, there is always a large gray square somewhere in the picture, usually near the left border. This occurs whether the layers in the file have been flattened or not so it doesn't represent another layer. When I view the file in Photoshop, it is just fine. So it appears to be an issue with how Preview views the file. Any suggestions?

Thanks both Andreas and Bob. By the way Bob, have you tried importing the example file that I referred to? As stated earlier this problem does not show up with every PSD file (in my testing I can see that about 50% of my (flat) files shows up as gray (all the files are perfectly OK in Photoshop (CS2) and in Bridge however).
The example file can be found here:
Full size (around 41MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241.psd
Cropped to make downloads faster (3.7MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241crop.psd
Exported to JPEG (170KB)
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241-1.jpg
Jørgen

Unable to place Photoshop psd file in Illustrator CS3

Hi,
Can someone help please???
I am unable to place a Photoshop PSD file in Illustrator and be able to print the document correctly. The Illustrator file is saved as a ai file, both the document & PSD file are CMYK.
On screen the document looks fine but as soon as I have printed the document, some of file has not printed.
Do I need to have the Illustrator file as a eps file?
I used to use an old Photoshop version that had a Export Image option, which was great for something like this, but CS3 doesn't have this option.
Has anybody got any ideas what I am doing wrong?

This seems to be an Illy problem, not Photoshop. You might want to check
with the gurus there, but perhaps a few details, like what printer
you're using and a few screenshots might help.
Bob

Photoshop .psd files converted to Unix Executable files

I'm an illustrator and I store my art on CDs and DVDs. After a period of time my files are converted from Photoshop .psd files to Unix Executable files and I can't open them. What can I do to get my work back??? -and keep this from happening in the future. Why does it do this????
Thanks for any help.

The file sizes range from 22.2 MB to 67.9 MB.
Size isn't the issue then. Linc was asking that question because we see that with other file types. Older fonts in particular, which have all of their data in the resource fork. If that gets stripped, you end up with a zero byte file.
Does that mean I'll have to go through the Adobe authorization process for Photoshop again?
If the version of Photoshop you're currently using is already activated, then no. Either way, it has nothing to do with .psd files showing as UNIX executables.
In Windows, any file that doesn't have an association to a program is displayed as a white, dog-eared piece of paper with the Windows logo in the middle. That's Windows' way of saying, "I have no idea what this is." In OS X, (except for those files which actually are UNIX executables), displaying them as such is OS X's way of saying the same thing.
I thought I was home free when the icon changed to a thumbnail picture of the illustration, but PS refuses to open it saying it is not a Photoshop file. ???
Now that is weird. As of Snow Leopard, Apple put the old Type and Creator codes to rest. It will read them as a last resort to try and identify an older file, but none of Apple's applications add them to any file they save. For better compatibility with Windows, and OS X's own underlying UNIX core, file extensions have taken their place. So adding a .psd extension should have worked. Without playing with one of your files, I couldn't tell you why Photoshop declared it wasn't a valid .psd image.
On a side note, Apple added Uniform Type Identifiers to OS X to keep things separate. A big problem in Windows is that multiple apps may use the same file extension. EPS is a big one in printing. So you have Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, Quark and others all using .eps for Encapsulated PostScript files. However, Windows can only associate one application to any given extension. So if Illustrator happens to be the one tagged to .eps files, it will try to open any file ending in .eps, no matter what program actually created it. OS X keeps them separate with Uniform Type Identifiers. So even though multiple files may have .eps file extensions, the extra metadata keeps track of what program it actually belongs to.
This is what is part of the LaunchServices database, and was why it was my first suggestion. If that database is wonky, you'll see weird things like this. Have you tried clearing it yet?
The files are fine when newly burned to CD. It is only months, or years, later that they become Unix Executable Files. This has happened to just about all of my CD backups and it's frustrating to think that CD backup doesn't work across newer OSs and Photoshop upgrades. I suspect that may be the problem, but it just shouldn't happen.
That shouldn't make a difference. I've got a bunch of very old files created in Photoshop back from OS 8 on CD. No file extensions, as nothing did at the time. Just Type and Creator codes. They all open fine in PS CS5.5 in Snow Leopard, though the native Photoshop files do need to have a .psd extension added.

Photoshop PSD files as Pictures

I've been reading a lot of threads on importing still images into iMovie HD.
This is what I gather:
• porportions (4:3) can make importing these images easier/better
• ken burns effect helps with compression
• don't expect for them to look great on my screen. When i go to a TV, they'll be much better.
Beyond that, what is conventional wisdom about importing layered photoshop files as opposed to opening them and saving them back out as jpgs? Will it matter which we use when all is said and done?
Thanks!
Lynn

Thanks both Andreas and Bob. By the way Bob, have you tried importing the example file that I referred to? As stated earlier this problem does not show up with every PSD file (in my testing I can see that about 50% of my (flat) files shows up as gray (all the files are perfectly OK in Photoshop (CS2) and in Bridge however).
The example file can be found here:
Full size (around 41MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241.psd
Cropped to make downloads faster (3.7MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241crop.psd
Exported to JPEG (170KB)
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241-1.jpg
Jørgen

Photoshop (PSD) files renders as gray noise

When importing Photoshop files (PSD), about 50% turns up showing mostly gray noise. The same files renders perfectly in Photoshop and Bridge (CS2). All files have been batch converted from RAW using Bridge(Photoshop. Here is a sample (also a JPEG version exported from Lightroom):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241-1.jpg (170KB)
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241.psd (41MB)
When importing the files looks OK in the Import preview. The files are very plain: Adobe RGB 1998, 16-bit, no layers, no alpha channels etc. There are no error messages. I have checked this on two different installations of Lightroom (one on Windows XP and on another machine running Windows Vista).
I have noticed that it is possible to manipulate the files so that they render as normal in Lightroom. This will do the trick:
1) Save with "Maximize Compatibility" set to "Ask" (when saving no
question is asked however since the original does not have any layers
etc. I do however notice that the files get slightly bigger (about
320KB)).
2) Convert to 8-bit and then save.
3) Save as a TIFF file.
This does not help:
1) Make a plain copy
2) Do some adjustments (like levels etc.)
3) Resampling
What is going on here?
Jørgen Johanson

Thanks both Andreas and Bob. By the way Bob, have you tried importing the example file that I referred to? As stated earlier this problem does not show up with every PSD file (in my testing I can see that about 50% of my (flat) files shows up as gray (all the files are perfectly OK in Photoshop (CS2) and in Bridge however).
The example file can be found here:
Full size (around 41MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241.psd
Cropped to make downloads faster (3.7MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241crop.psd
Exported to JPEG (170KB)
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241-1.jpg
Jørgen

An issue whereby Photoshop .PSD files disappear when saved to a network file share

It has been reported and reproduced by Support, an issue whereby Photoshop .PSD files disappear when they’re saved to a network file share.
Upon initial investigations Support have observed the following behaviour when saving a Photoshop file.
The document is initially saved as a new file on the file share.
The original .PSD file is deleted on the file share.
The newly created file is renamed to the same name as the original file.
An issue often arises when steps 1 and 2 complete however step 3 fails. When a file is reported by users as having disappeared, the new file created in step 1 can be renamed from .00_ to the original *.PSD file name on the server as the *.00_ files are normally hidden by the desktop operating system. This allows people to see and open the file from both PC’s and MAC’s using AFP and SMB protocols.
A related issue often reported by users is that they receive an error message “Could not save as” when trying to save a .PSD file. Troubleshooting the issue confirms that the user is able to save the file if they perform a “Save As” operation in Photoshop.
From the reported problems and observations there is clearly an issue with how Photoshop performs a file save operation further exacerbated by the fact the process doesn’t fail safely.

Sounds like you're hitting one of the known MacOS filesystem bugs - worst when working with SMB volumes.
Apple knows about this, and we are pursuing workarounds to the OS bugs.
Yeah, if you value your files, don't save directly to servers, especially on MacOS.

Import Bulk Photoshop PSD Files

Hello Forum members.
I don't think there is a way to do this, but I am working on a project where I have over 1000 photoshop psd files of slides scans. I would like to keep them as photoshop psd files because the portrait style shots, I leave the sides as alpha, and put a animated background behind them.
So, when you import a folder of psd files, or all 1000 by holding shift and selecting them all... premiere prompts you for every file to choose how you want to import it. It would be great if this could be temporarily disabled, or set to a default setting, so I don't have to click okay over a 1000 times. Clicking the spacebar I found is easier than mouse clicking, but there must be a way to batch import or something like that.
Thanks all...
-nick

Not that I've found. I frequently import 40-50 PSDs (batch-created lower thirds and such), and rampant "OK" clicking is the name of the game. There might be some way to use an external program like AutoKey to create a macro to do this, but I don't know that for certain.
The other "solution" would be to create a multiple-layered PSD and import it as a sequence. I say "solution" because this isn't really appropriate for the number of layers you're talking about. Even if you created 10 PSDs with 100 layers each, the files would be pretty unwieldy.
Make a feature request for batch import--it's sorely needed...

AirDrop & Photoshop "psd" file types?

I downloaded OSX Yosemite yesterday and tried AirDrop to send a Adobe Photoshop "psd" file type from my 2014 MBP w/Retina to my iPhone 5 but with no success.
"jpg & pdf" file types work. Both a layered and flattened Photoshop "psd" file didn't go through.
I did a little more research and found that "psd" image file types can't be saved to the iPhone Photos app. This is probably causing the file not to be received on the iPhone.
Has anybody had any other file types unable to be transferred via AirDrop? Im guessing only files types that can be opened / viewed on iOS devices can take advantage of AirDrop.

If you open the image as a tiff an save that what is the filesize and what is the psd’s filesize?
Salvaging the damaged file may not be possible, how it was damaged is another issue.
http://forums.adobe.com/message/4145463#4145463

Colours trouble with a psd file after import/export through Lightroom 4

I'm working with CS5, and I just bought LR4. I took a psd file (in Adobe 98 space) and I imported it in LR 4, and the exported as psd file in Adobe 98 colour space. Both files, the original one and the other after import/export, are quite different. The saturation of the res is not the same... When I repeat this experinece with a psd file in sRGB or in Prophoto, I have no difference betwwen both files.
I then conclude that LR doesn't recognize the adobe 98 pprofile of my psd file.
Is that normal, have you tried this experience, is there a bug in LR or a bug in the way, I proceed?
Best regards

When you import there is an Advanced button in one of the dialogs. Click that and you will be able to Paginate against chosen styles. That will break your document into topics.
See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips
@petergrainge

Using Aperture with a Network Attached Storage (NAS)

Hi,
I would like to make my Aperture library accessible from severals Macs and for different users on these Macs --- not at the same time. The idea is that only one user from one Mac can use Aperture at a given time.
The basic idea is to install the Aperture library on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) --- either will all photos included or with all photos stored in a separated folder structure --- next to the library ("externally referenced masters").
The NAS I am planning to use is a QNAP TS 239 Pro II+, which will be attached to a Gigabit Ethernet network (to which all Macs are connected too). Following the reviews, the QNAP should be capable to deliver a read/write performance in the order of 70 Mb/s ... hence performance-wise there should be no problem.
I've read through various forums and found many messages telling that using Aperture with a NAS is not possible or at least not a good idea. The posts in the forum were partially a bit confusing; people were telling contradictory things. I also had the impression that the answers depend on the actual version of Aperture. Apple itself put in the release notes of Aperture 3.1.1 about Vaults: "Fixes an issue that could sometimes cause Aperture on a computer with Mac OS X v10.5.8 Leopard to stop responding while updating a vault stored on a network volume." Hence, it seems that Aperture 3.1.1 can work with a NAS ... at least it can use vaults that are stored on a NAS. On the other hand, it's exactly the topic of vaults where many people say that this does not work with a NAS ...
To clarify things, I try to get some clear and competent answers here. The questions are:
Can one store and use the Aperture library on a NAS (whose disk is formatted using a UNIX file system, e.g. EXT4) ?
If yes, does this work in both configurations: (a) with a library containing the masters, and (b) with a library with externally referenced masters (that are also located on the NAS) ?
If a user on a given Mac on the network has opened Aperture (and thus the library on the NAS), is this library the blocked for other users ? (That should ideally be the case.)
If it is NOT possible to use an Aperture library on the NAS, is it then possible to store it on an external, HFS+ formatted drive connected to the NAS via USB ? (QNAP allows to format its external drives with HFS+).
I know that putting everything on an iSCSI target volume on the NAS is a solution, but is iSCSCI properly working under OS X (10.6). I read that one has to install an iSCSI Initiator software first ... which is not from Apple itself.
What about Vaults: According to the Aperture 3.1.1 release notes, it seems to be possible to use vaults on a NAS ... is this really the case ?
Is usage of Aperture on a NAS depending on the file protocol used to transfer the data ? I read also that if one uses the AFP protocol (supported in a QNAP NAS) then everything's fine ... Is this the case ?
Thanks a lot in advance for any clear and correct answer!
Rainer

Can one store and use the Aperture library on a NAS (whose disk is formatted using a UNIX file system, e.g. EXT4) ?
Not reliably, no. You will encounter issues. You could use Mac OS X disk images on the server, mount them on a client, and work that way. Note only one machine can mount the disk image at a time.
If yes, does this work in both configurations: (a) with a library containing the masters, and (b) with a library with externally referenced masters (that are also located on the NAS) ?
(a) no (b) no.
If a user on a given Mac on the network has opened Aperture (and thus the library on the NAS), is this library the blocked for other users ? (That should ideally be the case.)
Aperture does no locking. There is a very high likelihood you will corrupt the library if you do this.
If it is NOT possible to use an Aperture library on the NAS, is it then possible to store it on an external, HFS+ formatted drive connected to the NAS via USB ? (QNAP allows to format its external drives with HFS+).
How would you be accessing it then? If it's over a file protocol (SMB or NFS or ...) it likely won't work.
I know that putting everything on an iSCSI target volume on the NAS is a solution, but is iSCSCI properly working under OS X (10.6). I read that one has to install an iSCSI Initiator software first ... which is not from Apple itself.
Right. There is no Apple-provided iSCSI initator. I don't know how well 3rd party initators work.
What about Vaults: According to the Aperture 3.1.1 release notes, it seems to be possible to use vaults on a NAS ... is this really the case ?
I've done vaults reliably for years using a Mac OS X disk image stored on the NAS, that I mount before backing up. I wouldn't do it "naked" (i.e. stored directly on the NAS).
Is usage of Aperture on a NAS depending on the file protocol used to transfer the data ? I read also that if one uses the AFP protocol (supported in a QNAP NAS) then everything's fine ... Is this the case ?
AFP might have a better chance than other protocols but... frankly... it's a bad idea. If you MUST share a library across many machines, use something like a Promise DS4600 (direct attached) and plug it into a machine when you're using it.

How can I swap or cut & paste a head from one photo into another for a holiday photo using aperture or photoshop?

I've got an almost perfect family photo that I need to swap one face in as my son was not looking at the camera and I can't redo the shoot. Anyone know how to take a headshot from one pic and swap it into another using Aperture or Photoshop? Thanks!

select the head with one of Photoshop's selection tools
When doing this, I find it quite helpful to create an intermediate image with a transparent background that contains only the head to be pasted into the second image. First I paste the head onto this transparent background, scale it, rotate it or skew it to make it fit into the other image, adjust the lighting, then select it.
To be able to paste the head seemlessly into the second image (and without aliasing effects), I make the border of the selection soft (⌥⌘D); my Photoshop has a german interface, so I am not sure about the english localization, this command must be something like "selection -> modify selection -> soft border".
I would not bother to get the lighting and color excactly right in Photoshop, that is far easier with the "dodge" and "burn" brushes and color adjustments in Aperture.
To do this completely in Aperture, you would have first to combine both images into one (for example by creating a book page), then use the retouche->clone tool to stamp the head from one image to the other. I use this occasionally to stamp a face into a flower bud or for similar effects. However, for this to work you need a plain background and nearly circular shapes to be pasted.
Léonie

I'm trying to make a photoshop psd file have a hyperlink?

I'm trying to make a photoshop psd file have a hyperlink when saved as a PDF file for my site Gr8CanineDogs?
Thanks very much

Photoshop does not support the creation of PDF hyperlinks, sorry. You will have to use Acrobat or another application to add links after you have generated the PDF. If you google "adding hyperlinks to PDF", you should see a number of options to explore.

Can i use automator with photoshop?

I want to open a Keynote or PPT file select an image, open it in photoshop make the background transparent then save it back in Keynote. is this possible?

Yes you can use automator with photoshop:
You might wanna take a look at http://www.automatorworld.com/archives/photoshop-cs-automator-actions/
But not sure if it does what you are asking for.

Tips on using Aperture with Photoshop PSD files

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